As March ends, China Listening Month comes to a close as well. This March we dedicated the entire month to exploring the state of Chinese social media in 2013 – the unique censorship situation, dubbed “The Great Firewall of China”, the tremendous advancements in social media generated by our friends in the East despite (or thanks to?) the government’s censorship, and the inherent value this represents to the world’s leading brands through listening.

China has ramped up in the social space at lightning speed in the past few years. By the end of December 2012, China had 564 million Internet users, 50.9 million more than the year before, and representing nearly 40% of the Chinese population! Initially China had been behind the West in terms of internet access from China’s great Firewall, which serves as a barrier to Western and international sites like Facebook and Twitter. Without access to the majority of social media used elsewhere in the world, the Chinese have created their own, and with super-powerful networks like Sina Weibo (about 300 million users), Renren (200 million), Tencent Weibo (425 million), Tudou (431 million users) and more, it’s clear to see that China is now truly a world leader online.

The 5 stunning infographics below will help you understand the impressive evolution, current state and future of social media in China.